Costing Out a Contract (online) (OLLB116)

This is a practical, how-to-workshop to give union negotiators and bargaining committee members the skills they need to prepare for contract negotiations. Exercises are used throughout the workshop to illustrate how to calculate the projected costs of an agreement.

Key Topics

How to use the Consumer Price Index and measure real income

How to calculate percentage and dollar increase costs

Steps to costing out the union's demands

Practice as a mock bargaining unit costing out contract proposals

Approach and Features
This asynchronous online workshop utilizes costing exercises, group discussions and an extensive costing out role play. Participants can access the website 24 hours a day seven days a week for twenty one days when it is convenient for them. Participants do not have to be online on a specific date or time. Participants must log in on at least 6 different days over the three weeks to allow interaction with others in the workshop. Participants are given a variety of exercises to calculate cost of living, benefits, pay increases and insurance premiums in a team setting.

Benefits to You and Your Organization
Participants benefit from working with a costing team and experience strategies for educating their membership and bargaining committee on the costs/benefits involved in a collective bargaining agreement. Participants can build their confidence and skill level in a safe environment and gain feedback on their approach.

Instructors

Art C Wheaton

Arthur Wheaton is an industry education specialist based in the Cornell University ILR School office in Buffalo, New York. He is a former AFSCME union steward and local union executive board member. Art has more than 15 years experience as a labor educator teaching collective bargaining, negotiations, and conflict resolution for unions and management. He also has extensive expertise in international labor union and management research and is a resource person of the ILO and the European Foundation Living and Working Conditions. Art has a master’s degree in Labor Relations and Human Resources.